PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) PART III – ALLEVIATING THE SYMPTOMS

“Physical healing takes place as we learn to tune into, feel, and listen to our bodies. Our bodies usually know what they need. They communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them. We need to cultivate the art of understanding and interpreting their signals. The body is constantly communicating its need for the right food at the right time, for rest when it’s weary, for movement, and for touch.

In order to accurately receive the body’s messages, we first have to heal our own addictive processes—the false cravings we may have developed for certain substances or foods that block us from feeling what our bodies really need. Our bodies naturally crave what is good for them. “ Shatki Gawain, The Four Levels Of Healing

When problems occur physically, psychologically or emotionally, your spirit has already been trying to get your attention for a while but you’ve either ignored or didn’t understand the signals of your inner guidance. We don’t hear it until it shouts when in extreme distress. But even then our first response is trying to eliminate the pain by taking antacids, painkillers and such—rather than seeing the pain as a messenger and learning to understand what its saying.

When Carol first emailed me (PMS PART 1 & 2) regarding her PMS, she was very clear of its emotional effects, especially her uncontrollable rages. As we looked more at her physical causes, Carol noticed her body was actually shouting at her in an unmistakably painful way. The more she learned to tune into her inner guidance the more she noticed her PMS wasn’t something that just hit her out of the blue; it had been sitting on the backburner for a while.

ENERGY READING

Together Carol and I discussed her rages, tearful scenes and violent premenstrual outbursts. She wanted to know why PMS brought out her worst side without the ‘will’ to stop it. I asked her if I could tune into her energies, perhaps when she was PMSing or close to her period. We agreed on a day and time as she lives in England and I in Canada. What follow is an abbreviation of what I saw….which took in total about five or ten minutes.

When I first tuned into Carol’s energies, she was very nervous and frightened. Her etheric and nervous system seemed to have protectively cocooned around her body, especially around the solar plexus, clenching it tightly. I felt the sensation of feeling trapped and a bit claustrophobic. As I gently scanned and sweeped her energy field, the tightness in my belly subsided but I felt a low, persistent, dragging abdominal pain which I intuitively knew, was Carol’s energy. Sometimes, a healer can take on another’s pain and this was what was happening to me. As Carol’s energy flowed over to mine, my muscles felt tense with aches and pains in my joints. My energy felt low, making me light-headed and irritable….I wanted to snack on something, anything….I had the munchies!

The scenes that came next were all jumbled and didn’t fall in sequence at all. The uncomfortable feelings faded and I found myself looking deeper into Carol’s energy and virtually saw a younger woman (Carol) sitting sullenly nearby. As I approached the woman, she started crying and immediately brought up both legs onto the chair, pressed them into her chest, wrapping her hands around her knees and hugged the sides of her legs. In her mind I saw old pieces of memories, her ambitions and visions and views she saw of herself. I saw her give up things what she needed and wanted for herself—I was told this was out of fear of being rejected, abandoned or worse, confronted. When she looked in a mirror there was no self-reflection. What I saw was her reflecting other people’s lives through the image of many mirrors. Out of fear she learnt to do what others expected her to do.

When that image slowly dissolved, I saw Carol going completely beserk and attacking someone (her husband?) with a carving knife….then I was suddenly in a fast-moving car driven by Carol, running through an intersection on a red light. Her energy felt cross, headachey, and stressed almost to the breaking point. Her emotions were dangerous and very angry.

“Anger is often a manifestation of other emotions, like fear and shame. Perhaps more than any other emotion, shame keeps us from connecting. Shame is about hiding that part of ourselves we are so afraid to bring up, because we believe that if anyone found out about it, they’d never love us or want to be around us. It’s so much more acceptable to bring up anger, or sadness, or even fear. We’ve learned how to hide our shame, to keep it at bay, so we don’t bring it up in our relationships.” Carol Naber, Intuitive Healer

Then things changed again and I saw Carol as an image of a child, whose household looked like a warzone. It was a place of non-stop panic, frightening her to death as well as belittling her feelings. In order to cope with the pain she learned at this young age to deny her emotions. I saw her in a basement with no light to turn on. To make matters worse, she didn’t know where to find the key to unlock it. Overwhelmed, all her feelings of loss remained stifled and suppressed in this basement until her hormones kicked in and her body started changing. Although Carol experienced an explosion of emotions in her teenage years, she still tried to keep these bottled up, but they got lodged in her body in the form of hidden tensions, unhealthy habits and too much stress. It was in her mid 20’s that she started experiencing an explosion of emotions that skyrocketed in a frenzy of emotional rages.

“Our rage child is at once a young and old emotion: young because she is tied to our personal childhood traumas that have been suppressed; old because she is an accumulation of unresolved anger and shame, some of which has been passed on for many generations. Few of us realize how much we have and how rage controls our lives. We feel trapped in a revolving door of conflicting emotions—victims of our rage inward, against ourselves. We fail to understand that the ongoing, often subconscious struggle to repress rage causes suffering and drains our life force. Whether we are ignorant or aware does not change the fierce truth that most of us are enraged—with good reason—and the fires of rage continue to burn with our without our acknowledgement or permission.” Ruth King.

Our bodies can tell a whole story about our lives. When we learn to tap into our own energy, our deepest secrets and fears will reveal themselves to us. Carol’s body was holding a lot of anger, resentment, fear, and woundedness. Her PMS could very well be stemming from burying her feelings and emotions as a child. She denied these even existed until her adolescent years when she experienced an emotional awakening from her hormones going wild. But still she tried to shovel them deep inside until she was propelled against her will into a world of feelings that she couldn’t get a grip on.

HYPOGLYCEMIA – LOW BLOOD SUGAR

I shared the following quote in this article on my blog – DIABETES – AND THE IMBALANCE OF SWEETNESS IN YOUR LIFE. Although Carol is not a diabetic, she showed all signs of being hypoglycemic. I had suggested she get tested for this, which she did and her tests all came back positive. Hypoglycemia can cause severe metabolic changes in your brain and nervous system, creating mood swings, unstable emotions and changes in behavior.

The sugar level in our blood obviously relates to the amount of sweetness and love in our lives and to the opposite, anger and sourness. Diabetes can indicate that the love we are receiving is uncontrollable and excessive, to the point where it is smothering or overwhelming. It is also unusable as it is constantly being eliminated in the urine, thus responding to a sense of loss and inner sadness. In this state there is a great desire for affection and love, yet an inability to know how to act if it is received. This give rise to anger and resentment, a blaming of others for our own inner fear and confusion in dealing with love. The word spleen also means moroseness and irritability. Hypoglycemia indicates the same conflicts with expressing and receiving sweetness, but the conflict leaves an inner depletion and emptiness. DEB Shapiro

Louise Hay says “Individuals dealing with hypoglycemia often feel overburdened by life; they see life as something that is too much to handle. There is usually self-pity involved, too, with the general sentiment expressed being: “What’s the use?!” She recommends people need to eat small meals at a regular basis to elevate their blood sugar and keep it at an even keel.

I asked Carol to watch herself for the next 10 days or so, and keep track of all the times she stopped to take any form of food or drink, whether it was a meal or snack. What was most important was for her ‘to consciously try and remember for each time, how you were feeling, what you were thinking and doing before, during and after the meal, snack or drink. Notice particularly whether you were calm and relaxed, tense, tired, emotional, hungry, bored or whatever. Keep a *journal and write down or draw each of those ‘food events’ as you recall them. (e.g., 10:00 am ate a doughnut and drank coffee—needed a break from work.)’

(*Keeping a journal will give you daily feedback when you experience hormone fluctuations, what makes you feel better or what makes you feel worse. Your experience is the best and truest guide to have to respond to the messages of your body.)

I also suggested to Carol to keep an eye on the Moon and its different phases, since its cycle (29.5 days) has been connected to a woman’s menstrual period. Sugar and starches are interestingly lunar in nature and one of the endocrine glands, the pancreas, is also moon related. The pancreas is a vital part of our digestive system, it’s in charge of keeping watch of the amount of sugar in the body and blood…if stressed or not working quite as it should, our hypothalamus (also Moon related) and adrenal glands panic, calling out for a backup. The hypothalamus and adrenals both know, low blood sugar is a ‘threat to your survival’ and together they send out hormones to find ways to boost it. The problem is, these hormones create such a flux in the body, the thyroid has no choice but to slow down, losing its power.

“Low blood sugar and a poorly functioning thyroid gland reflect depression and depression affects the immune system, so we get a cold, which depresses us even more. Sometimes we get up in the morning just feeling rotten, but how can we say that one causes the other? Or might our bodies, being part of an interconnected world organism, simply move in harmony with climatic changes more than we realize. What we eat has a profound effect on our moods, but our moods in turn affect what we eat. If we are unhappy or stressed we grab for “comfort food” like chocolate, which in turn makes us feel unhappy and stressed because the blood sugar level crashes afterward, which makes us depressed…..it is the body, the domain of the Moon, which keeps us in touch with life in the moment, whether it is the dark or the life face of experience we are encountering. Without sufficient expression of the Moon, it is not only the body which suffers. It is our capacity to experience life in the present.” (Liz Greene)

“For thousands of years—up to and including decades of the present century—very little, if anything was done to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms which the vast majority of women experience while they are menstruating, nor the whole complex (or syndrome) of problems, mental and physical, which affect far more women than is generally realized during the premenstrual phase of their cycle. This is partly accounted for by the fact that sex and the reproductive system were taboo conversational topics. Certainly the advent of sex education in schools and movements o establish equal rights for women, as well as a more liberal attitude towards sexual activity, have contributed to alerting the scientific and medical world to the subject of ‘women’s complaints’. To a certain extent, the earlier ignorance has been, or is being, rectified. As women become more aware of their own identities, so they develop body-consciousness and thereby an awareness of how their bodies work, and what these feel life when they are not working properly. Because women now talk openly to one another and to their doctors, the full range of menstrual problems has come to light.” Dr. Caroline Shreeve

We are helping each other out in regard to our monthly periods and our struggles with PMS. There are lots of forums out there now that focus on this subject and groups are available too, right in your own community. There’s so much more we can learn by listening to each other. I’ve tried to put as much information as I can on problems and solutions with PMS. At the end of this blog, there are links to some incredible sites that could offer you more. The information gathered here isn’t just from Carol’s reading; it is a gathering of information that has grown over the years. From the many women I’ve met with PMS, the one things we’ve all seemed to have in common, as discussed earlier, is symptoms of low blood sugar also known as hypoglycemic.

THE BRAIN NEEDS GLUCOSE

Artificial sweeteners are on the rise but they play havoc with the body’s metabolism and frustrate it to no end. When the body tastes something sweet, it begins the natural preparation of digesting carbohydrates, but with artificial sweeteners it can’t find them! When this happens, the body has to compensate somehow and look for carbs elsewhere….it may excessively absorb carbohydrates found in the intestines which forces the body to produce extra insulin which then causes our blood sugar to go too low, resulting in hypoglycemia. This insulin and blood sugar roller coaster causes the hypothalamus to panic which leads to more carb cravings and more sweets. It’s an endless cycle that if not managed, can lead to weight gain and progressive obesity.

The brain needs a maximum of 1 tsp or 5 grams of glucose every 3 to 4 hours to give our bodies and brains constant little spurts of sugar as fuel in our bloodstreams. We can get this from eating fruits in moderation, vegetables, salads, herbs, sea vegetables and ‘green drinks.’ But if you eat that tasty honey or cinnamon bun for breakfast your body becomes overloaded with at least 12 teaspoons of sugar, guaranteeing to cause hormonal havoc by flooding and hamming your little energy engines into ‘off’. Within an hour of eating that tasty treat, surging blood glucose signals insulin levels to spike, causing your physical, emotional and mental performance to decline in an ever-increasing downard spiral. Elevated insulin levels also cause further cravings.

“Cortisol robs your brain of its only source of fuel: glucose. It also wreaks havoc on your brain’s chemical messengers—your neurotransmitters—which carry your thoughts from one brain cell to the next. When your neurotransmitter function is disrupted, and when your brain’s fuel supply plummets, it’s difficult for you to concentrate and to remember.” Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. BRAIN LONGEVITY

Glucose which only comes from plant food, is the most essential fuel in the human body. The brain, lens of the eye, lungs and kidneys must have glucose to operate properly. The brain is so dependent on glucose that it does not even need insulin to get glucose into the cells, which is unusual, since nearly all other body cells require insulin which allow glucose to slip in through the cell membrane.

Glucose is a necessity for your body cells. If just the right amount of glucose goes straight from the intestinal absorption to the body cells and is burned for fuel, then the person feels great, look great and energetic. If not enough glucose is available, then the person feels cranky, depressed, forgetful and listless in a condition call hypoglycemia (low sugar levels in the blood). If an excess of glucose starts accumulating outside of the cell, then “glucotoxicity” begins. Glucotoxicity is slow but lethal where too much glucose outside of the cells triggers a host of destructive pathways throughout the body.

“During the low blood sugar period, you can feel mood swings, irritability, and lack of attention and even undergo a weight shift. This roller-coaster ride of high and low blood sugar is caused by hormones reacting to the food you have eaten—primarily reactions between carbohydrates and the pancreatic hormone insulin, between proteins and the pancreatic hormone glucagons, and between fats and the hormones call eicosanoid….A fundamental solution to your symptoms, whether related to blood sugar or perimenopause, is an eating plan that consists of slow-acting or low glycemic carbohydrates, along with high-quality fats and proteins that keep insulin levels low and that help to stabilize blood sugar levels.” Anne Louise Gittleman

SEROTONIN

During the day, the pineal gland releases the hormone serotonin and at night the hormone melatonin. Serotonin keeps us awake during the day, it influences our appetite, boosts our energy levels and makes us feel relaxed and good about ourselves. If serotonin levels are low, you’ll find yourself craving for sweets or constantly wanting to binge on foods. We tend to eat to make ourselves feel better…and it works because the more carbohydrates we eat, our serotonin levels go up! The problem is, the more weight we put on, the more serotonin it takes to elevate our mood.

Low levels of serotonin have been linked to such conditions as depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel, overeating, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive behavior, autism, PMS, migraine headaches, schizophrenia and even erratic behavior” ravenstar. (From my post Healing by way of the Endocrine Glands Part II)

Serotonin also helps to control our sensitivity to pain, it is manufactured by an amino acid called tryptophan.

“Serotonin, the brain’s mood rejuvenator, influences appetite, cravings and obsessive behaviors. Low serotonin levels cause us to be impulsive, aggressive, anxious, restless and depressed and to exhibit compulsive habits including overeating and drug and alcohol abuse. Serotonin promotes equanimity, alert tranquility, confidence and a postive enthusiasm. Low serotonin levels create depression, which is often treated with popular medications Prozac, Paxil, Aoloft and others known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs inhibit the nerve cellls from reabsorbing serotonin once it is released, thus prolonging the action of serotonin and giving short-term biochemical assistance. Low serotonin levels also cause PMS cravings and sleep disorders.” THE PATH TO PHENOMENAL HEALTH – Sam Graci

When we become emotional we often turn to food for solace. Food has a powerful effect on serotonin, a hormone in the brain that controls both emotion and eating. Stress has been known to create a powerful psychological hunger that never finds satisfaction, no matter how full our stomachs feel. Stress is the culprit that makes us ignore food that is good for us and turn to cookies and ice-cream instead.

“Eating sweet food is a way of feeding ourselves the sweetness we crave, of temporarily giving to ourselves the sweetness or reward that we may feel nobody else is giving us. Conversely, in expressing our need for nourishment we may also stop eating thereby reducing or shrinking our need for affection to a level that makes no demands at all. In this way obesity and anorexia are actually expressing a similar state; that of not loving self and therefore needing outside reinforcement and affirmation, but not receiving that affirmation enough to satisfy the demand. The reaction that state is simply expressing in opposing ways: obesity indicates a loss of personal control, while anorexia implies a highly exaggerated attempt at control.” Deb Shapiro BODY/MIND Workbook

High levels of Dopamine (another chemical in the brain) can produce anxiety, stress, nervousness and aggression. When the level of dopamine is elevated, a person may develop feelings of insecurity, paranoia and fear.

Serotonin is another important chemical in the brain that can affect a person’s mental well-being. Individuals with low serotonin levels are usually controlled personalities who display mood swings and some sort of compulsion, such as alcoholism, overating or being a workaholic, perfectionist, or procrastinator. A serotonin imbalance can produce not only depression but internal anger.

Depression can also be linked to other physical factors, such as hypothyroidism and food or environmental allergies.

MINERALS AND ENZYMES

We know that our diets can affect our energy, our ability to think, concentrate and also feelings of self-worth. Hormones, like the rest of our bodies, are created from the food we eat. In order to create all the hormones we need in just the right quantities, we have to take in enough of the nutrients they’re composed of to make enzymes, the catalysts that stimulate all your cells into action. If the enzymes are not functioning, as they should then most of those vitamins and minerals you’re taking won’t be able to do their job. Vitamins A, D, E and K need the enzyme lipase to break them down. If this enzyme isn’t present, then most of the vitamins you took this morning have already been flushed out of the body.

Enzymes are found in raw fruits and vegetables, especially juices. But for enzymes to work at their optimal level, they need minerals, which are found in our tissues, blood and bones. Minerals transmit vital electric and magnetic impulses to the nerves and heart as well as helping in hormone production and balancing the body’s energy. When just one mineral is lacking form you diet, it will be felt by the entire body which will do its utmost to convey this to you by either a lack of energy, feelings of irritability, nervousness, muscle soreness and even loss of focus or confusion.

When the body is lacking in minerals, it searches for alternatives and has a tendency to pickup harmful minerals such as lead, aluminum and mercury in an attempt to maintain its balance. The liver, one of the largest major organs in the human system has to work harder to filter out toxins the body has absorbed from polluted air, food and water. When we are constantly exposed to industrial chemicals and pesticides the liver becomes overloaded and can’t do its job.

THE LIVER

“In Chinese medicine the liver is known as a storehouse of anger, particularly repressed anger, which gathers here and may eventually explode outward. Too much anger, especially if it is repressed, is like a toxin in the body, and is often the background to addiction. Unacknowledged or unexpressed anger leads to depression (anger turned inward) shame, jealousy, or irritability, all of which further deplete your energy levels and can damage the immune system. Connected to anger are bitterness and resentment, which are seen in the production of bile, or guilt, hopelessness, frustration and hatred.” Deb Shapiro YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND

The liver is the largest gland/organ in the body with over 500 different functions and the only organ with a dual blood supply. This allows it to have access to blood rich nutrients as well as being able to rapidly discharge bile and other toxic substances. One of its many functions is to secrete bile, an alkaline liquid which passes via the gallbladder into the duodenum, where it acts on the fats in foods and prepares them for digestion. The liver is also a store for glycogen, a starchy substance which can be converted into sugars when the body needs extra energy. When the liver has a hard time converting glycogen to glucose, the brain is deprived of its main fuel, sugar. And when the brain doesn’t get enough sugar we can develop hypoglycemic symptoms.

A congested liver tires the body because it has a hard time converting glycogen to glucose. I aked Carol if she suffered from night or day sweats which she replied yes. I told her these sweats could be caused from energy stagnating in the kidney area as well as the liver and the spleen. The liver is one of the main factors in the formation of sexual hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone). One of its tasks is to eliminate excess hormones, especially estrogens, which have a tendency to irritate the liver and make it overly sensitive.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS And XENOESTROGENS

Daily we are exposed to thousands of toxins—photocopy machines, dust, mold, pollens, plastics, chemicals, fuel, and pesticides on foods. Our body’s are very susceptible to chemical hazards as there are some that can interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the digestive system. When the body is unable to excrete poisonous chemicals from food or in the air, they start accumulating in our bodies, disrupting enzyme function and throwing the body’s hormonal system out of balance.

“If you live or work in an urban or suburban environment, as most of us do, your body is subject to a constant bombardment from petrol-chemical molecules. These molecules are in the air you breathe, the food you eat, the liquids you drink. They come from automobile exhaust, detergents, pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These molecular structures are somewhat similar to those of estrogen, and they have the potential to occupy oxygen receptors in your cells. Breast cancer, enlarged ovaries and premature cessation of ovulation are possible consequences.

…..the ones that women are most likely to come in contact with are PCBs and related compounds in household cleaners, detergents and personal care products, small appliances, plastics, canned food and contraceptive creams……..The xenoestrogens interfere with the body’s natural estrogen in various ways. They may occupy or alter estrogen receptors sites in tissue cells. They may interfere with the actual manufacture of estrogen by the ovaries or adrenal glands or decrease the rate of estrogen excretion from the body and cause a build up of the hormone with consequent symptoms…..Some xenoestrogens have widespread effects….inhibiting the production of all sex hormones, not just estrogen.” Anne Louise Gittleman

Xenoestrogens (xeno means foreign) can cause a variety of symptoms when they’ve accumulated in the body. The liver is constantly working to eliminate toxic substances from the body but can easily become overwhelmed when there’s just too much to handle. Toxic substances can cause an extreme outpouring of adrenaline raising high levels of sugar in the blood. This outpouring of adrenaline, especially when the brain has no glucose for fuel can often trigger aggressive behavior.

Lima beans, soy beans and other soy produces contain isoflavones, phytoestrogens or plant estrogens. These substances actually curb the activity of the excess estrogen in the body’s tissues. Psytoestrogens can also be found in other vegetables and in fruits along with nonsoluble fibers, beta-carotene and selenium. Flaxseed and certain types of fish contain omega-3 fatty acids.

When we are treating our hormones with supplements that involve only one or two hormones, this could eventually lead to an imbalance to your whole endocrine system. You can’t just increase one hormone artificially; if you do your body will start decreasing the natural production of other hormones your body needs to return to balance. There is no quick fix for your PMS. You need to learn about all the forces that can interfere with your hormone health and focus on the substances that your body needs to produce hormones in just the right quantities. This means you must become in charge of your own life, not a victim to it. It means learning about taking charge of your own hormone health. It means learning about yourself, your deep-seated needs and your individuality.

Everything that affects the body also affects the mind; hormone changes are no exception to this rule. Our thoughts and emotions have a profound influence on our hormone balance and their effects on our bodies. We cannot separate mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects of ourselves; this is the central idea of the holistic approach to health.

“The ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen. Relatively small quantities of testosterone are released into your bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands. In addition to being produced by the ovaries, estrogen is also produced by fat tissue in the body. These sex hormones are involved in the growth, maintenance, and repair of reproductive tissues. But that’s not all. They influence other body tissues and bone mass as well.”http://women.webmd.com/normal-testosterone-and-estrogen-levels-in-women

(Your endocrine glands are also spiritual centers, each having a consciousness of its own, each with its own history and experience as well as emotions, ideas, attitudes and experiences. Each one of the 7 glands are related to the other six through the nervous system and the hormones in the blood; to function properly they all have to work together and get along. But if they disagree among themselves, this leads to a clash of ‘wills’ with one or more gland seeking to control or manipulate the others. When this happens it can cause a person to feel emotionally explosive, manipulative or so totally lacking in energy they withdraw from the interaction of others. It is these seven areas of consciousness that make each of us unique, they are the product of how we have utilized and used our power.)

“When you get your hormone balance right, you will be protecting yourself not just from the regular aggravation of PMS or period pains, and the long haul of menopausal symptoms but also from the overspill problems of hormone imbalance such as depression, tiredness and weight gain. You will be reducing your risk of cancer and heart disease; you will be strengthening your bones and your whole body. And if you plan to have a baby, you will be enhancing the chances of producing a happy, healthy child who will be a delight to you and everyone else.” Arabella Melville

Our sexual hormones are coordinated and orchestrated by the pituitary gland in the brain. If there aren’t enough enzymes and minerals to help transport them through the blood then this will affect your hormones. For the body to stay balanced we need to be sure that our needs are met ‘at all times’. If they don’t our endocrine glands won’t be able to function as they should. Understanding your needs comes from learning what different factors affect you as an individual. Keeping a journal, as mentioned earlier will help give you feedback on the way your hormones are fluctuating and how they’re affecting you. You might find you need plenty of rest before your period or maybe physical exercise. You might need more food to fuel the body or ignore wheats or stay away from sugary or salty food.

Your sexual tastes may change too….you may not like to have your breasts touched when their swollen or feeling sensitive. You may like intense sex and then again something more gentler. Whatever you’re feeling, communicating this to your partner is the key.

PMS can be due to excessively high levels of estrogen in the blood which is capable of causing depressive and mental problems. When estrogen is too high it interferes with the body’s ability to absorb B6 (pyridoxine), which is known as the anti-depression vitamin, because it controls the production of serotonin.

“Many of the remedies that are advertised did not work for me. Energy testing, however, let me to progesterone, which is the best natural substance I have ever taken. For many women who have sever PMS, progesterone (not the synthetic progestin works like magic because it potently strengthens the spleen and sedates the triple warmer.” Donna Eden, ENERGY MEDICINE

Most women can take progesterone but there are a select few that can’t. Side affects to progesterone can include feeling depressed, listless, no emotional drive and very tired.

Progesterone is one hormone that tends to go up rather than down with exercise: half an hour of ‘good’ exercise can raise the level of progesterone in the circulation by 40%. That means progesterone deficiencies can be improved within minutes of doing a physical workout.

The glands of the endocrine system and their hormonal output is better when we are physically active. The adrenal glands for example, are stimulated into higher levels of hormone production by exercise. In addition physical activity changes the sensitivity of cells to the effects of hormones so that our hormone systems work more efficiently.

Too much regular strenuous exercise can reduce estrogen levels drastically. If stores of your body fat are diminished too much it can cause such a distortion in your hormonal ouput causing loss of periods and loss of bone leading to osteoporosis.

Great site describing too much and too little estrogen, progesterone and testosterone produced in the ovaries https://eaware.org/ovaries/

Natural supplements are great and they can be very helpful but they are just as the word states “SUPPLEMENTS” they are not a “cure”. Just like medications we get from the doctor, if we take the wrong dose or mix it with something else, they can do more harm than good. I have seen people who have crossed the boundaries with supplements, taking more than they should because they believe more is better but in truth they can do great harm to their bodies. I’d also like to point out that just because the label says ‘all natural products’ doesn’t mean they are safe for everyone or that you can safely take them with other medications. It’s very important that you read the label, take the suggested amount and make sure it won’t interfere with the meds you are already taking.

AGNUS CASTUS is an amazing herb….I’ve heard this over and over by many women who wouldn’t even think of giving it up. It works by regulating the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-access, the region of the brain and endocrine system that regulates and orchestrates hormonal release and their functions. It allows the body to get itself back to where it needs to be, and doesn’t cause any other hormonal imbalances.

VITAMINE B6 (Pyridoxine)

“B6 (pyridoxine) has often been called a “woman’s guardian angel” because of its power to relieve perimenopausal symptoms, particularly water retention and bloating, skin eruptions, mood swings, and even depression and anxiety. High concentrations of B6 increase the synthesis of neurotransmitter dopamine and inhibit secretion of the milk-stimulating hormone prolactin. This alleviates anxiety, irritability, mood swings, and nervous tension. Vitamin B6 reduces levels of estrogen and elevates progesterone levels. Additionally B6 helps balance tissue levels of magnesium, a mineral noted for its ability to alleviate peri-menopause symptoms.

Vitamin B6 is needed for normal secretion of serotonin, the brain neurotransmitter that regulates mood, pain, sleep and appetite. This vitamin has been shown to improve memory, particularly long-term memory and increases the brain’s capacity to store information.” Anne Louise Gittleman

B6 has also been beneficial in helping depression, fluid retention and swelling, especially the fingers, feet and ankles.

A few years back, a client of mine mentioned brewers’ yeast, magnesium and vitamin B6 all seemed to really help with her PMS symptoms. I tried it and loved it and mentioned it to others too….they really seems to relax, balance and revitalize the body, all at the same time.

For proper absorption vitamin B6 should be taken with B-complex vitamins and with Omega 3-6-9.

CHROMIUM helps in transporting and binding insulin into the cells, allowing them to take in glucose where it is consumed and converted into energy. It also helps to balance your sugars.

HERBS that also help to balance blood sugars include black cohosh, panax and Siberian ginseng, dandelion, gentian, ginger, cinnamon, uva ursi, licorice root and astragalus. Astragalus helps to boost energy by supporting the adrenals and the immune system.

MAGNESIUM is required for regulating normal body temperature and for the conversion of glucose into an energy source. The adrenal glands regulate the amount of magnesium, with a hormone known as aldosterone.

There are magnesium supplements of 100 mg or more. Slowly increase in your diet because Magnesium can not be stored in the body and too much will cause diarrhea.

Almonds have a very high magnesium content and help to lay down calcium as bone. Chinese and oriental foods are high in magnesium as well as kelp, wheat bran, cashews, pistachios, parsley, dandelion greens, garlic, raisins, bananas, carrots, blackberries and much more.

As you may know, fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, helps to develop healthy cells/skin/hair and makes it easier for your body to use stored fat and sugar for energy. When we don’t have enough of this oils in our system we can get depressed, inattentive, irritable, confused and lack focus. If you’re going to take omega-3’s as a supplement, I highly recommend a supplement with omega-3, 6, 9, all these together help to relieve physical and mental symptoms of PMS and balance your hormones. Too much omega-3 by itself can cause inflammation. 1000mg to 3000 mg is recommended daily.

NERVE SUPPLEMENTS

Supplements for the nerves, skullcap, valerian root, lavender, passion flower and chamomile. Don’t take any one of these if you’re working with machinery or planning to drive. Personally, skullcap is one of my favorite and lavender too—their very enjoyable as a tea.

SAW PALMETTO acts as a anti-androgen, meaning it can lower the levels of testosterone in the body.

SEROTONIN

The only substance to ‘manufacture serotonin is the essential amino acid tryptophan. As we know serotonin helps to control our mood, sleep, appetite and pain threshold. Eating Disorders and violent behavior has been traced to serotonin. Tryptophan converts to niacin before becoming serotonin. And it needs a little help with this from B6 and Vitamin C.

A zinc deficiency has also been known to cause anxiety and depression as well as depression and poor sexual development. It plays a starring role in the function of the immune system and brain development and performance. Zinc helps to remove toxic metals from the brain, particularly copper, lead, mercury and cadmium. High copper levels can cause paranoia, violent behavior, mood swings and schizoid behavior. High lead can cause learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.

“Organic chocolate – 70% cocoa considered an energizing food if eaten in moderation about 3:00 pm. By mid-afternoon you’re mood-balanced hormone serotonin ‘good mood’ hormone DHEA and neuropeptide beta endorphin levels take a natural dip. If you consume up to to one and a half ounces or forty two grams of dark semi sweet cholcolate which contains only ninety calories, you quickly boost the serotonin, DHEA and neuropeptide beta endorphin levels so you feel happy, satisfied and content. The cacao plant (which is a source of choclate) contains a potent antioxidant called pentamer that increases the activity of cancer suppressing genes.” THE PATH TO PHENOMENAL HEALTH Sam Graci

There is no laboratory test that identifies PMS symptoms or PMDD. The diagnosis is made from the patient’s reporting of their symptoms on a daily basis for 2 or more menstrual cycles. These daily symptom records must demonstrate a cyclic symptom pattern, with the greatest severity in the week preceding menses and major reduction or elimination of the symptoms after the menstrual period.”